Tears of Memory
by StarFire and Sakura
Summary: Ichigo has been having some strange dreams, but they're only dreams... aren't they? My version of Ichigo's past. Also including Zakuro's past. RyouIchigo! Maybe some other couples. Please RR! Chapter 5 up!
1. Default Chapter

Hi people! I know, I know… I haven't updated Codename: Black Cat for a little while. So, why am I starting another fanfic? It's simply because I had an idea for a fanfic, and I was afraid I'd forget it, so… anyway, hope you enjoy! Read and review please!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters. Those belong to Mia Ikumi. I do own a lot of the people in Ichigo's dream.

Chapter 1-A Weird Dream

_People were crying. A little girl was walking around, looking. _

"_Mama-san! Why is everyone crying?" she asked, finding the person she was looking for. _

_Her answer was only a sob, as the woman hugged her, holding her closer. _

"_Mama-san…"_

_It was a year later, to the day. The girl was looking around her house-though it was more like a palace. Looking for someone yet again. She had looked through the entire place, except for one room. She hurried to that room and opened the door…_

"No!" Ichigo yelled. She had sweat on her face. _It's that stupid dream! _She thought. _I've been having the dream for… what, 5 days now? But I can't remember any of it… _She looked at the clock.

"Oh CRUD!" she shrieked. It was 7:30. _Just GREAT! I'm gonna be late for school, AGAIN! _She rushed out of bed and made it to school at 8:06.

During school she got in more trouble, because of her dream. She couldn't help but think about the mystery of the dream, so when she was called on she wasn't paying attention. After school, she hurried to Café Mew Mew and actually got there on time.

"I guess there's a first for everything," Mint commented. Ichigo, panting, told her to shut up and quickly changed into her work uniform.

As normal, she was the one who worked the most. The only ones who worked were really Zakuro and herself, and maybe Purin typed on the register with her feet, but still… mostly Purin was making a mess, and Zakuro didn't really clean up, because she couldn't afford to get dirty.

As Ichigo was cleaning a table, she heard something. Someone was… crying? She looked up, but she didn't hear it anymore. She looked back down, confused, and continued cleaning the table. Then she heard it again. The same crying, of the same sorrow and woe. Again she looked up, but there was no one crying.

_Why do I keep hearing this? _Ichigo wondered. She had looked back down when she heard the crying again. This time, in her head, someone was there. The back of a head… Ichigo knew who it was, but couldn't place it… her head started to hurt. Just before her vision became black, she heard… something…

Ryou's POV

It was a normal day at Café Mew Mew, except that Ichigo was on time. Ryou scanned the city for any signs of alien activity and found nothing. Keiichiro asked Ryou to help him in the kitchen, so he did. After that Ryou scanned the city again. He supposed he was paranoid about it, but he couldn't be too careful. When he walked downstairs, he saw Ichigo, holding a washcloth in her hand but not cleaning the table. He decided to tell her to get working.

As soon as he walked up to her, he started to speak. Then Ichigo fainted. Ryou caught her before she hit the floor.

"Retasu!" he called, and the green-haired girl hurried along, gasping as she saw Ichigo. "Help me get Ichigo up to my room!" _Please let Ichigo be okay, _he thought.

Chapter 1 End

Yay! ONE CHAPTER! Whoo hoo.

Sakura: sighs Why are you so excited over ONE chapter?

…because I can?

Sakura: x.x That's not a good reason, but okay.

Please R+R people! By the way, this may be slightly Ryou and Ichigo, but nothing major. Anyway…

Starfire-

Sakura: sighing And Sakura…

Both: Logging out!


	2. Identity

Hi! I'm so happy. Chapter 2 already! Wowzers. Okay, enough with the sarcasm. Anyway, I will answer reviews:

Sara Tober- Thanks for reviewing! And, I think I am going to make it completely RyouIchigo.

Tylec Asroc- The reason I didn't add much about the "palace" was because I wanted it to be in mystery until she finally remembers exactly what happened in her dream. Either in this chapter or the next I'll describe it. Probably next chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew, but I own the characters in Ichigo's dream.

Chapter 2-Identity

The same tears… the same memory… the face…

The back of a head, with long dark pink hair moving in the wind.

Who are you? Ichigo asked in her mind. Who…?

Then she was running, running faster and faster. Where are you, she called. She was…. Looking for someone? But who was she looking for? She made a turn, then opened the door…

"NO!" she shouted. She was in bed, sweating. But it wasn't her bed, it was Shirogane's. Mint was beside her, looking worried.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" she asked, putting down a cup of tea. "You were talking in your sleep! What were you dreaming about?" Ichigo held her head, covering her eyes.

"I… don't know…" she murmured, and she was still unsure of what had happened before. Then she remembered. She had heard someone crying, then the back of the face, then black.

"Did I… faint or something?" she asked Mint. The blue haired girl nodded, picking up the tea and slowly drinking it to calm her down.

"You did faint. Shirogane-san says you were cleaning the tables, when you stopped. He was going up to see what was wrong or something, and then you collapsed. Shirogane and Retasu carried you up to this room," Mint explained. "The rest you know."

"Oh…" Ichigo said softly. Sweat was still dripping down her face. She wiped it off and realized tears were in her eyes. Like the crying she had heard…

"I'll tell Shirogane-san you're up… he's been really worried," Mint said. She gave a slight giggle then left the room, leaving Ichigo slightly confused.

_Shirogane was worried about me? _Ichigo thought. _Why is he always so kind to me? He's mean sometimes, but he can be really sweet… _She wanted to sleep again, but the thought of the dream scared her. At the same time, she also wanted to know who it was in her dream, and what she saw at the end. She was starting to drift off when the door opened.

"Ichigo!" Ryou said worriedly (by the way, the reason I keep using Shirogane is because it's a term of respect I guess. But I use Ryou when somebody's not speaking to him or it's Keiichiro). "What happened? Why did you faint?"

"I… I'm not sure…" Ichigo replied in surprise. She didn't think Shirogane would be this worried about her. "But… I kept hearing someone crying… and when I looked up no one was crying and it stopped. I've been having weird dreams, too…"

"Weird dreams?" Ryou questioned. Maybe the dreams had something to do with it. He didn't really care what was wrong; he only cared that she would be okay.

"Well… in the start, people are… crying… but I don't know why. Then I'm running, trying to find someone. I open this door, and… then I wake up. But I don't know what I see," she explained, thinking hard. She had heard crying in the dream and before she had fainted. Could the woman be in her dream as well?

Ryou let her rest for a while, and he himself watched her. She noticed this was another act of kindness. She hardly ever got time off because Ryou wouldn't let her. _Why is he being so nice? _She thought. _I mean, normally he's mean, but now that I think about it, whenever I'm hurt he always gets really worried… _she dozed off.

She was in a cold place. The floor was stone and it was wet. She felt a sinking feeling as she realized blood was seeping through the cracks in the stone.

"Papa-san!" she felt herself cry. Tears sprang from her eyes, falling onto the dirty floor. "Mama-san!" Sorrow welled up inside of her. She was alone.

Her hands were chained to wall with iron chains. She didn't know where they had taken her mother. She heard footsteps as someone slowly walked down the wall. She looked up to find a tall, ugly man staring at her.

"Get up, stupid girl," he ordered. Quivering, she did as instructed. The man unlocked her chains and put new ones one her, ones like handcuffs. He led to her a room. She nearly screamed when she entered.

There was blood splattered everywhere, with dead bodies lying around. There were bloodied weapons which had recently been used. This is where the blood in the cracks had come from. A few steps away were her mother and father. She couldn't help but cry out to them.

"Mama-san! Papa-san!" They turned their heads, relief spreading their faces for but a moment before another man, thin and cold, spoke.

"So, 12, this is your daughter, eh? Well… we'll see… who should I use… 10?" A thin yet strong man came up.

"Yesssss massssster?" His voice was like a snake's, and his hand he held a whip with spikes on it sharp enough to rip apart human flesh.

"You will do the honors," the one known as Master instructed. The couple being held prisoner gasped.

"No! Don't!" 12, her own father, yelled. "Take me instead!" In his eyes were fear and yet determination.

"You? Hmmm, well... that will work. We'll just do your daughter and wife afterwards!" Ichigo then noticed something she hadn't noticed before. She couldn't see the face of those two. But why not?

The men led her father up to a platform. Now there was sadness in his eyes, but there was also hope. _Why does he look like it's going to be okay? _Tears welled up in Ichigo's eyes. _He's going to die... _

Number 10 started his work. It was horrible. They forced Ichigo and her mother to watch as Ichigo's father was tortured. Then, after a while, it didn't look like her father anymore.

"Heh heh…" her father gasped weakly. "You're…. going to pay… Leo."

"And how so?" the evil man said with a frown. Suddenly, he started coughing, coughing up blood. His face scrunched up in pain.

"What did you do to me, 12?" he roared in fury, coughing more.

"That poison you wanted me to make- I did make it. And you're my guinea pig," Ichigo's father said triumphantly. "If I recall, your other numbers were all machines that died when you died. Isn't that correct?"

"You-!" Suddenly, this 'Leo' fell to the ground, obviously dead. The other people all collapsed, allowing them to get to their father.

"I'm sorry…. But…. It was the only way for the poison having time to take effect. I'm… sorry…" Then he fell silent. His head slumped back and Ichigo saw his face. It wasn't the same face as the father she knew, at her own home. Besides, her father wasn't dead.

"Ichigo!" she heard a voice call. She opened her eyes, which she realized where filled with tears, and got up. Ryou was standing beside her, another worried look on his face.

"Did you have the dream again?" he asked earnestly, wiping the tears that wear falling from her eyes.

"No…. this one was different. In this one… I think I was…. held prisoner at some place. Then… someone was killed…" Her head strained to remember. What had she said?

"I heard you say 'Papa-san' in your sleep," Ryou reported, still worried. Ichigo got a jolt of memory.

"That-That's it! I remember! I… I was led outside the dungeons, or wherever I was, and I went into this chamber… it was horrible, it had dead bodies all around it… and then there was my dad… and… and mom! I think it was mom anyway. But I couldn't see their faces.

Anyway, for some reason this guy named Leo had a grudge against my dad, and he had my dad tortured. But my dad had poisoned him or something, and Leo died and so did all those other guys. My dad died afterwards. The thing is, after he died, I saw his face. It wasn't the face of the dad at my house! And my dad isn't dead either!"

"It was probably only a dream, Ichigo," Ryou said, trying to comfort her. In the back of his mind there was doubt, but he pushed it away. Dreams were nothing more than that, weren't they? He hoped so.

"Maybe I should go home…" Ichigo said quietly.

"That's a good idea. I'll walk you home," Ryou replied nearly instantly.

They slowly walked to Ichigo's house. Ichigo looked at Ryou's face and then knew why he had a look of sorrow on his face. He was thinking of the death of his own parents, when his house burned down.

"Ryou…" she said softly, not loud enough for him to hear. She ached to help him, to comfort him somehow, but she didn't know how.

"We're at your house, Ichigo," Ryou said, and Ichigo realized they were. She began walking to the door.

"A-Arigatou," Ichigo told him quietly, as she was walking. She entered the house and her mother welcomed her in. With one last glance at the closed door, Ryou started walking back to the Café.

Ichigo, meanwhile, quickly hurried into her room. She was glad her father wasn't here. He had to go on a business trip somewhere. She lay down on her bed and tried not to fall asleep, which was hard because of the cat genes inside of her. She quietly had dinner, then simply went to sleep.

It was the normal dream, where there were… tears… wait. Could it be they were crying over her father? She got up, because it was 7:45 AM. She had breakfast, got dressed, and got to Mew Mew Café around 8:45 AM. Her shift started at 9. Ryou was surprised when he saw her there.

"Ichigo? Wow, you're early. Are… you feeling okay from yesterday?" Ryou asked this last question slightly hesitantly.

"Pretty much," was her reply and she started sweeping the floors. She finished just before Mint, Retasu, and Zakuro got there.

"K-konnichi wa," Retasu greeted, bowing. Zakuro gave a small half-hearted wave and walked to the register. Mint just said "hello" and sent a glare at Ichigo, who was confused. Then the blue haired girl sat down at her regular table.

"What's with the glare?" she asked Ryou. He gave a small chuckle and replied.

"Because you were gone yesterday, Mint had to actually get up from her table and work. That's why," he snickered. _Wow. Mint WORKED? That's new. _Ichigo giggled quietly as Purin entered.

"ICHIGO ONEE-CHAN!" Purin shouted, pouncing on Ichigo causing her to fall over. "YOU'RE OKAY!"

"I know! Now get off me!" she yelled, but she was giggling. Purin got off Ichigo, who began welcoming the customers.

Retasu had actually become less clumsy and only dropped 10 dishes a day instead of 20. Then a man, accompanied by a young girl, entered the café.

"Hello. May I take your order?" Zakuro asked carelessly when the man got up to the register.

"Yes. I would like a plate of 20 raspberry parfaits, a chocolate milkshake, and 1 cup of the special tea." His voice was very prim and proper.

"Alright. That's $17.48." Zakuro replied calmly. The man gave Zakuro the money and walked to a table, the little girl looking very happy and hopping to the table. Retasu was chosen to bring the food to their table.

"Here's y-your food," she stuttered, placing it on the table. The man eyed it quickly, then replied to her.

"You forgot the tea."

"Oops! I'm sorry! I'll go get that!" Retasu hurried into the kitchen and grabbed the tea. Then, to Retasu's bad luck, some trickster tripped her. The teacup landed on the man's head, and his face turned red with fury.

"You _idiot! _How dare you throw a teacup on my head!"

"Oh no… Papa-san is mad again…" the girl murmured, whimpering and hiding slightly under the table.

"You'll pay for that!" He struck Retasu across the face, causing her to fall onto the floor. In anger, Ichigo stormed over to him.

"Just because somebody tripped her doesn't mean you have to get mad at her!" she snapped. "It was an _accident!_"

"Shut UP!" the man shouted, and he scratched Ichigo's face, causing a large cut to appear, small amounts of blood flowing out of it. He hit her so hard she flew into the wall. Then Ryou had it.

"If you're going to hurt my employees, you should go, _sir,_" he said icily. His voice was coated with malice. The man looked at the scene for a moment, then looked at the girl.

"Aira! We're going!" The girl trembled and whispered "gomen nasai" to Retasu, then followed the man out of the café.

The entire café had been staring at them, but all the people went back to talking after a little while. Ryou once again carried Ichigo up to his room, and Keiichiro put a band-aid on the small cut Retasu got.

In his room Ryou bandaged up Ichigo and sighed.

"Why do all these things happen to you, Ichigo?"

While Ichigo was having a strange dream…

End

The truth behind Ichigo's past revealed next chapter! Teehee. I'm not sure exactly when I'll explain Zakuro's past, so just bear with me. Doing 2 stories at once is hard, but it's summer, so I'll manage. Also, when I'm done with this fic I'm planning another. Can someone tell me Purin's attack and Taruto and Kish's… things? Like, Pai's is Fuu-Hyou-Sen. Don't Kish and Taruto have the same type things? If so, if you know and you are reviewing, please tell me x.x.

Sakura: Yeah… maybe if she's writing fanfictions she won't go crazy.

Starfire and Sakura, logging out


	3. Mystery Revealed

Hi! I'm doing this chapter of Tears of Memory first because more people want this up. So anyway, first, answer to reviews:

switchfootfan887- Yeah, Ichigo blacked out when she hit the wall. I probably should have added that, but, eh. Arigatou for reviewing!

Tylec Asroc- That's why I rated it T. Also for what Ichigo sees at the end of her dream. And Ryou was trying reeeaaallly hard not to attack. It was partly because he thought the little girl cared for the man and would get sad if he got hurt. That helped him… restrain himself. But… I thought Kisshu and Taruto had the weird names for their weapons. I'm pretty sure I saw it somewhere… I'll have to look into that. But thanks for reviewing and for Purin's attack!

Sara Tober- Yes, in this chapter you will find out who is in Ichigo's dream. Sadly, this chapter probably will not have Ryou+Ichigo because it's focusing on Ichigo's dream. I dunno exactly when it will have coupling, when the time is right I guess.

Sakura::in a dull voice: and thanks to all other reviewers.

Good! Now… Let's disclaim! Hope you like the fic!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew. Mia Ikumi does. I do own all people in Ichigo's dream. So HA!

Chapter 3Mystery Revealed

Ichigo knew where she was. She was on a floor, white. And in front of her was an altar. A casket. Her heart sunk.

She was at a funeral. That was why everyone was crying. Then, she heard herself call out, "Mama-san! Why is everyone crying?"

Her mother hugged her. She heard herself murmur "mama-san" as she nuzzled into her mother. Then a woman came up to her mother.

"It's your sister," the woman said, handing a phone to her mother. The woman walked away and her mother started talking.

"Hello, Sakura…" Wait. Sakura. That was her mother's name! It couldn't be… that… "It's alright. It's not your fault. Don't worry about me. I'll be alright. Sayonara, Sakura-chan." So this woman, her mother, apparently, was Sakura's sister. Older, too. Then someone else came.

"Miss Momomiya, could I please escort your daughter and you to your rooms?" It was a young woman, an aide to the family.

"That would be very kind of you. And please, no need for the formality. Just call me by my first name," her mother replied.

"Alright. Let's go, Hana-san." _Hana. _Ichigo thought. _Her parents must have liked beautiful names (hana means flower, sakura means cherry blossom). _

Ichigo fell asleep before she got to her room, so the aide had to carry her there. Ichigo remembered a warm bed…

She awoke from her bed. She looked at the calendar in her room. It was May 20th, the day of her father's death, except it was a year later. _I slept for a year? _She thought worriedly. Then it hit her.

_I'm in a dream. I probably just jumped ahead a year because something happens today. But what is it? _She walked out of her room and into the hallway. She wanted to jump, but her body wouldn't listen to her.

The hallway was a mixture of pearl and gold, with a horribly addicting soft carpet. When she got out of the hallway there was a room made of marble, with silken banners hanging on the wall in all colors.

Ichigo seemed to know which way to go. She turned to the left and then trotted into hat appeared to be a stone gazebo, only it was much wider and a little bit taller. If you looked outside you would see a gentle pond, still water with the sun shining on it. Ichigo walked to the breakfast room, which was a huge dining hall, and ate a fancy dish that used pretty much only vegetables. She then walked outside.

"Ichigo onee-san!" a voice cried. It was Okashi, a daughter of one of the maids. Behind her was Kinomi, Okashi's best friend. Kinomi was also a daughter of the maids. Okashi was very hyper, but Kinomi was shy and became even more so after the funeral.

"K-K-K-Konnichi wa, Ichigo o-onee-san," Kinomi said quietly.

"Wanna plaaay?" Okashi yelled in an annoying voice.

"Okay! Let's go to the play room!"

The play room was circular, carpeted with a swirl of rainbows and so was the wall. There were toys scattered about with a nearly empty treasure chest on the other side of the room.

"Let's play with stuffed animals! Superhero stuffed animals! And they'll fly around and help every girl in need!" Okashi announced bravely. She grabbed the butterfly. Kinomi grabbed the mouse. Ichigo ended up taking the cat (teehee!).

While they played, Ichigo's younger mind thought of her mother. _Mama-san just spends all day somewhere, writing, writing, writing! She never plays with me anymore… _She got up and ran out of the room. The other two called after her, but she kept running. She went to her mother's room. No one was there.

She went everywhere, running around until… she turned and looked down a hallway. Her father's bedroom. But why would her mother go in there? She had to check. She ran down the hallway and opened the door.

She gasped. Her mother was holding a knife to her heart. The knife was one Ichigo's father used for safekeeping. Her mother turned to her.

"I'm sorry you have to see this," she murmured, tears falling from her eyes. "But I can't live without him. I can't live without Hinshu."

"Sayonara… my dearest daughter."

There was a splatter of blood.

Ichigo just stood there, watching. She had done nothing to stop it. Ryou had said, "It was probably only a dream." But she knew this wasn't.

Ichigo woke up from her bed, crying, and Ryou immediately was at her side.

"Ichigo? Ichigo, what happened?" he questioned, but Ichigo was only crying. "Ichigo…" She only continued crying. Then Mint came up.

"Is sh- Ichigo! What's wrong?" Ichigo only continued crying. And although they tried to comfort her, she only kept crying, crying a river a tears.

End

You like? Hope so! R+R people! I have Sakura hostage! So review if you don't want her to get hurt.

Sakura: Don't let her kill me. PLEASE. Wait. Then you'd be half dead, Starfire.

….oh. Yeah. I don't care about that! So byes till next chapter! And, sorry it was short. Me thinks next chapter will have the beginning of Zakuro's past. But, now I must write next chapter to Codename: Black Cat. Read that too people! And review it! Sayonara!

Starfire and Sakura, logging out


	4. Understanding

Hello! Sorry about the wait! I've been slacking. But hey, I've been doing stories for fun. And summer's for relaxing! Ah well. Answering reviews:

OokamiHanyouGurl- She was overcome with grief, so she would do it in front of her daughter. At that point in her depression, she honestly didn't care. I mean, think about it… if the one you loved with all your heart died, and you were a sensitive person like Hana, wouldn't you go into a deep depression? Meh. Thanks for reviewing though! And, I dunno if Masaya will ever appear in this story. Probably.

That was the main review thing, so… thanks to Sara Tober, switchfootfan887, and Angelic Ichigo for reviewing! Now let's begin!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew. It belongs to Mia Ikumi… WHO IS ME! I wish.

Chapter 4- Understanding

When the other three waitresses received the news from Mint, they wanted to see Ichigo right away. Ryou, however, insisted they stay working. People would wonder what was going on if the waitresses suddenly disappeared, and it seemed like a personal matter of Ichigo's. The cat girl wanted to be alone, though she didn't do anything when Ryou or Mint came in to comfort her.

Finally, the café closed and the three waitresses came in to see Ichigo. Her eyes were still filled with tears, and her skin was pale. For once, she turned and looked at three. Zakuro then looked into her eyes, through the tears, deep into Ichigo's soul. And through her tears, Ichigo did the same.

At that moment, they just looked at each other, staring into the other's soul.

After what seemed like forever, Zakuro turned and left the room, the other girls following. Mint spoke.

"What do you think she dreamed?" she asked worriedly. Zakuro was silent, and remembered what she had felt. Then she replied.

"I know… I know what it is she dreamed…" Zakuro murmured. "But it wasn't only a dream. It was the truth." The others looked at her in surprise, then Ryou asked the question.

"What did she dream?" he asked.

"What she dreamed… the pain I saw in her could only be one thing. A thing I've experienced as well." She paused, her eyes filling with pain at the memory. "It's the pain of standing by idly, doing nothing, while your mother kills herself."

The only sound that was made was the _woosh _of Zakuro turning around, and the click of her shoes hitting the tile floor (if the floor wasn't tile, it is now). Zakuro's words hung heavily in the air, and no one made a sound. Everyone was shaken by what Zakuro said. Ryou was the first to recover, and he went into Ichigo's room.

Zakuro sat on a park bench, remembering what she had said. It was the truth. Her father had abandoned them when they were born. Her mother had always been slightly suicidal, slightly insane. So it was no surprise when she killed herself. Zakuro closed her eyes and remembered….

"Mama-san," a young Zakuro asked. "Why is Papa-san never here?" She had asked this question so many times. Her mother never answered, just looking at her crazily and drinking more gin. Zakuro quickly cleaned up the bottles, sweeping them all into a cloth bag. Whenever her mother didn't have work, she got drunk.

"Mama-san! Stop getting all red! And stop drinking this stuff!" Zakuro shouted, but she knew her mother wouldn't listen. She never did. Zakuro then paused from this memory, her eyes filled with sadness. She then wandered over to a pond, and looked at her reflection. _Mama-san… _Zakuro thought. _No. Anguria. _

Zakuro's grandparents were in Italy at the time, so they gave their daughter an Italian name. Zakuro looked at all her features: her long, purple hair, her dazzling blue eyes. She looked so much like her mother; only their eyes… Zakuro's eyes were sparkling and a radiant blue, while Anguria's were dull and dark green, like an evergreen forest. Zakuro returned to her memory…

Zakuro opened a drawer in an oak dresser. It had belonged to her father, but of course, she didn't know where he was. She pulled out a newspaper and gave out a small gasp when she read the headline. "POP STAR COMMITS SERIOUS CRIME." The little girl glanced back at her mother, asleep on the couch, then continued reading. It went in to talk about how her mother had gotten drunk and done something… 'Anguria blames it on man…' Then the young Zakuro realized. The man was her father.

After that, she knew what happened. Her father was dead. Her mother committed a crime, and blamed it on her father. Her father had been put to the death penalty, but Anguria suffered a loss nonetheless. All her fame and fortune was lost. Over the next few days Zakuro became considerably colder to Anguria. Anguria didn't notice, but merely kept drinking, and eventually became sick.

"Sha day ish finerly 'ere… I knew irt… I kept dwinking fer shis day…" she babbled. "Nuffin to wiv fer without sha fame… ind murney… lotsa murney… I knew shat affer a while, the ginny wud git ter me… gahahahaha!" Zakuro stared at her mother in horror. The reason she was drinking was so she could die?

"Gahahaha… hurve furn wish yur granny, Zakuro…" Then Anguria died. She died from alcohol poisoning, and slight brain damage as well. Zakuro went to live with her grandmother, the one that went to Italy.

After a while, Zakuro entered in a modeling competition. She got first place, and from there she grew. And then, of course, after she had become a big star, the Mew project. And here she was now.

Nobody looked in the past and saw that Fujiwara was the name of a crime committing pop star. Nobody knew that Zakuro had the same bloodline as the dirtied pop star Anguria…

Ryou looked at Ichigo, who of course, was quiet and crying. Ryou wasn't exactly sure what to do. Finally, he spoke.

"Ichigo… we know… what happened to your mother." He spoke in a quiet tone. Ichigo grew still, and then finally looked at him. Her face was stained with tears, and her eyes filled with more and the memory played over and over inside of her head…

Ryou went over to the bed and sat down, facing Ichigo. She looked up at him, and let a sob escape her lips, falling into his arms.

"It's okay… it's… okay…" In Ryou's mind, the death of his parents replayed in his mind. "I… understand."

At that moment, Ichigo didn't care that she was Masaya's girlfriend. All that mattered was that someone was comforting her, someone that understood the pain. She was in the arms of someone who knew the pain of losing both parents, the pain of losing a loved one.

The door of the café creaked open and in stepped Masaya. He looked guilty or something; he looked in to see the commotion of the people.

"Is something going on? Is Ichigo still here?" he asked. Retasu was the only one who heard him and looked slightly shocked.

"Well, umm..." she started hesitantly. Just then, Ryou and Ichigo exited, both looking a small bit happier than earlier. Ichigo became even brighter when she saw Masaya.

"Masaya!" Ichigo exclaimed, looking both surprised and happy. She stopped when she saw Masaya's expression.

"Ichigo, we need to talk," he said solemnly.

They ended up going to a park, a different park than Zakuro had gone to. Ichigo was confused the entire way, wondering what was wrong.

"Ichigo." Masaya's voice was low and sad. "We… we need to stop dating." Ichigo was silent for a moment, the words slowly sinking into her mind.

"What? W-why?" Ichigo couldn't believe he was saying this. Surely he had to be joking! But the look on his face told her he wasn't.

"Because… you're just not the right girl for me Ichigo. I'm sorry. Can… Can I walk you home?" Masaya offered weakly.

"No… n-no… that's alright… I'm just… going to stay here for a little…" Ichigo stuttered. She still hoped it was just a dream.

"Alright…sayonara, Ichigo-chan." With a wave, Masaya walked away. It was at that moment Ichigo felt the entire impact of the words, watching Masaya leave, walk away. After standing in shock for about half an hour, Ichigo fell to the ground.

"Does God hate me?" she wailed. Tears ran down her cheeks as it started raining, both types of liquid drops falling to the ground.

Zakuro had been sitting near the pond for quite some time now, and the still pond water was turned into ripples, the raindrops pattering on the ground. Zakuro felt a strange feeling then. Although she didn't know how she knew it, someone was there. She got up and looked into a nearby hedge.

"Are you in there?" she asked. The hedge rustled and out came a figure, a very familiar figure.

"You!" Zakuro gasped in shock.

End

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Cliffhanger! A cookie to whoever guesses who the figure is. And also, I'm planning on making a new fic (not right now), and I need 4 Mews. If you want to be one of the Mews, give me these stats:

Name: (cannot be Azumi)

Mew Name: (cannot be Mew Blackberry)

Weapon name:

Attack name:

Personality:

K. The outfits are going to be the same as the regular Mews, only different colors. Same as the animals, sorry. K, bye!

Starfire and Sakura, logging out


	5. Truths

Hello! I'm writing chapter 5 of this already because… : looks at poor unreviewed Codename: Black Cat and cringes: Ergh. Anyways, have fun with the chapter!

Answering reviews!

Tylec Asroc: Yeah. I was going to add the serious crime last chapter, but for some reason I didn't. It will be added in this chapter though. As for the Masaya thing… heehee is all I say.

OokamiHanyouGurl: Goodie! Fhanks for the char!

Switchfootfan887: You should probably pay more attention to the story, because I said her dad is dead. No offense though.

Petitio Principii: Wow! Another long reviewer! I like your story Valediction. Arigatou for the character and reviewing. And goodie good advice and such.

And… nobody gets a cookie!

Disclaimer: Here is a rhyme to you; I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.

Chapter 5Truths

Zakuro blinked again as she saw Pai. Why was Pai here? The aliens had left… so why…?

Pai, seeing Zakuro's confusion, began to speak.

"I suppose you're wondering why I'm here." The alien's voice was slightly bored, and he gave a small sigh.

"Basically," Zakuro replied, calmer now that her small shock had gone. The rain increased slightly, large water drops splashing onto the ground.

"It's because most of our race is dead."

A while after, Ryou decided to head out to see if Ichigo was still at the park. He didn't think so, but he thought he should check nonetheless. He guessed that judging from the direction they walked, they were headed to the closest park, Kurosaki Park.

He grabbed a dark blue umbrella and ran to the park. He looked around and didn't see anything, then turned to leave because he thought Ichigo was already home. Then he saw…

"Ichigo!" he yelled, racing over to her. She was on her knees, her head tilted up toward the rain. Her clothes were soaked through, and her hair was plastered down by the rain.

"What did I do wrong? Why does God hate me today?" Ichigo whispered, her voice barely audible. Ryou covered her with his umbrella.

"Ichigo… I'll take you home. You're soaked…" Ryou murmured. He helped her up, and as they walked to her house, he put his arm around her. He removed this arm when he got to the door and rang the doorbell.

Sakura answered it. In Ichigo's mind, flashes of Hana rushed through her head. A huge headache caused her legs to give out, leaving Ryou barely enough time to catch her. She muttered a 'thank you' as Ryou put her back down. Ichigo walked in steadily and made for her room. After being questioned and nearly attacked by Ichigo's father, Ryou headed back to the café.

Pai's face had turned solemn and sorrowful, as did his voice. Zakuro's eyes widened in shock as the words replayed in her head. Finally she managed to speak.

"You're… kidding. After serving Deep Blue… after all that..." Zakuro inquired slowly.

"A plague," Pai said at last. "It made everyone sick, nearly dead, except for a few of us. Then another race invaded. No one was able to fight, except us. But we all escaped."

Both of them were silent for a few minutes, as the rain grew heavier, making the pond Zakuro had been sitting by overflow slightly. Pai looked at Zakuro slightly expectantly.

"Aren't you going to say I should've stayed and helped my kin?" Pai asked, obviously wondering why Zakuro hadn't said it already. Zakuro raised an eyebrow.

"Because I think what you did was right. Better to have some of the race survive then all of you dead." Noticing that her clothes seemed like she had jumped into a lake, Zakuro began walking toward her mansion. Surprisingly, Pai walked with her.

"Why are you walking next to me?" Zakuro asked boredly.

"I don't know. I feel like it."

"Why were you in the bushes?"

"See previous answer." The two continued walking, both silent as ever. Whenever a regular person passed by, Pai would disappear, only to reappear when the person passed by. Eventually a conversation started, the non talkers talking slightly.

"So, why were you looking in the water anyway?" Pai asked curiously. "Preening or something?" Zakuro's eyes narrowed and she replied with a sorrowful and malice coated voice.

"Far from it." Her voice was also icy, a cold hiss. Pai wondered what caused this sudden change and decided to find out.

"Then what were you doing?" Zakuro froze. She closed her eyes and her left hand became a fist.

"It doesn't matter," she hissed, her voice even angrier now.

"Just tell me. It won't kill you, you know." Zakuro couldn't hold in her temper, and whipping around, she slapped Pai so hard he nearly fell over.

"I told you," she whispered, more malice inside her eyes than he had ever seen. "_Don't ask." _She turned on her heels and walked away.

_I told him… I won't be reminded of her. I won't call that wretched woman a mother! _Zakuro thought furiously. She hurried to the mansion, water flowing down her body and dripping out of her clothes. But even this wasn't enough rain to wash away the memory.

The next day at school, Ichigo tried to avoid Masaya as much as possible, but for some reason he always seemed to be heading for her. Once, she saw him talking to Moe, an angry look on his face. Spotting Ichigo, he walked over to her.

"Ichigo, can you come after school to the bench near the gym?" he asked politely. Ichigo's heart began to melt, and finally she said she would.

After school, Ichigo sat on the bench. Masaya came soon, sitting down next to her.

"So… wanna come with me to a movie on Wednesday?" Masaya asked, giving his oh so wonderful smile.

"W…what?" Ichigo asked, confused. Masaya had said just yesterday… "But… yesterday you said you wanted to break up with me!" Masaya looked shocked.

"What are you talking about, Ichigo?" Masaya questioned. "I just got back from my grandmother's this morning!" Ichigo realized that Masaya had left. She couldn't believe she forgot.

"But then… who…?" Catching sight of a certain figure, Ichigo knew EXACTLY who did it. She didn't know how, but _he _did it.

"As for the date on Wednesday, sure!" Ichigo exclaimed. Masaya was also happy, and ran off to some sort of practice or something. Ichigo sent a raged glare at a clock tower nearby, then stomped off to the café.

Behind the clock tower, Kish breathed heavily, slightly scared because of the death glare Ichigo sent him.

"Dangit… Ichigo didn't respond as hoped…" Kish scowled. In his mind played his dream situation.

"_I think we need to break up, Ichigo," said Kish looking and sounding like Masaya. _

"_NOOOOOOOOO!" Ichigo cried. Kish/Masaya left. The next day…_

"_Ichigo, wanna go out?" Masaya asked._

"_You're just rubbing it in, aren't you! WAAAH!" Ichigo runs off. Then suddenly…_

"_What's wrong, Ichigo?" Kish said very hero like._

"_Masaya dumped me! I don't love him anymore! I love you!" Ichigo shouted._

That was the idea. Unfortunately, Ichigo hadn't responded in the way Kish hoped. Stealing the transformation device had been pointless. He gave a sigh. Pai would murder him for stealing from his lab.

It was night. Pai teleported onto Zakuro's balcony. He didn't know why he was so interested in Zakuro's 'secret,' he just was. He then quietly teleported in.

He looked over at Zakuro's bed. She seemed to be asleep, but he had to be sure. Noticing she had her back to him, he teleported to the opposite side of the bed.

Her purple hair was strewn out over the pillow, some of it covering her face. She was wearing silk light purple pajamas, with primrose stars. Her blue eyes were shut tight as her chest rose up and down.

Pai woke from a sort of daze and teleported back to where had started. Silently, he approached a desk. On it were some newspaper clippings. Pai picked them up and went over to the moonlit window, and started to read.

"POP STAR COMMITS SERIOUS CRIME. Pop star Anguria was accused of adultery just last night." Adultery? Wasn't that…? The alien kept reading. "Anguria claims that the man involved, Haku Ashikawa, gave her stronger wine then she ordered. "I was having a drink of not too strong wine. Ashikawa offered to buy me a drink, and I told him I wanted the same one as before. When he came back, the color seemed off, and it tasted strange. I don't remember much else." Ashikawa claims that he did get her what she asked, and she gave him too strong a beer. This will be further investigated." Pai switched to another clipping.

"MAN ARRESTED FOR ADULTERY. Relating to last week's case of adultery, a witness said that the color of the wine was indeed different, and that it was a stronger wine. Haku Ashikawa has been arrested. Anguria is attempting to put him through the death penalty, and by the looks of it she is succeeding. The case will hopefully be closed in a few days." Pai then picked up the last one, from about a year after the other two.

"POP STAR CONVICTED. Last year, the man Haku Ashikawa was sentenced to the death penalty for adultery. However, it has been found that the woman, pop star Anguria Fujiwara, actually forced Ashikawa to buy her stronger wine, therefore making her even more drunk. It has been found that she also forcibly poured beer down Ashikawa's throat. Anguria's contract will be destroyed, and she and her daughter will have most of their money taken away." Finally, Pai noticed a picture of the pop star Anguria. A look of surprise crossed his face as he saw the stunning resemblance to Zakuro.

_And Fujiwara… _he thought slowly. _That's why she was looking at her reflection… _Just then, Zakuro stirred, and Pai hastily returned the clippings to the desk and teleported away. Zakuro blinked.

"Was… someone just… there?" she asked sleepily. Soon she drifted off into slumber, her dreams actually memories, memories of a corrupted pop star…

The next day at Café Mew Mew, Ichigo was on time and Mint was LATE. Ichigo took advantage of this and scolded her.

"Shut up! It's only because Kish came back and harassed me all night!" Mint yelled. The entire day she became a devil, and only didn't yell at Zakuro. Purin said she had played with Taruto last night ("na no da!"). Zakuro mentioned that she had seen Pai as well.

After Mint had calmed down, Ichigo told her about Kish making it seem like Masaya dumped her. Both of them decided that if they ever saw Kish again, they would murder him. Literally.

But Ichigo couldn't help but think about being in Ryou's arms, crying. She didn't know why. She was sad, and he understood her, right? But she felt as though there was more.

End

Hurrah nyaa! Another chapter! Oh yeah. To Petitio Principii, I would use more not-so-common words and all, but I'm not even in high school, so my vocabulary isn't as large as I would like it to be. K, that's all. Byes till next chapter.

Starfire and Sakura, logging out


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